


Happy Birthday Reiner

by twistedwerewulf



Series: Attack on [Blank] [1]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe- Childhood, First of all they're all children, Fluff, Multi, let the kids be happy and innocent, so its #pure
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-02
Updated: 2017-07-02
Packaged: 2018-11-22 12:04:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,849
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11379840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twistedwerewulf/pseuds/twistedwerewulf
Summary: The children of class 104 celebrate Reiner's 7th birthday party.





	Happy Birthday Reiner

**Author's Note:**

> Co-Written with Wattpad user: I-Wont-Grow-Up  
> It'd would be cool if you checked them out.  
> In this I write as the characters:  
> Eren Jeager  
> Armin Arlert  
> Reiner Braun  
> Jean Kirstein  
> Ymir  
> Connie Springer  
> Reiner's Father

Children get excited for a lot of things. Whether it be going to Disneyland or going to the playground, you can bet that kids will be jumping up and down with joy. Yet, the thing that kids get the most excited for is birthdays. Birthdays were that one time of year (besides Christmas) that they get presents. Not to mention, they got delicious cake as well. Although, the best part of birthdays were the parties. Pinatas, Party games and maybe even a bounce house: Birthday parties are children’s dream come true.

\--------

Six year old Bertholdt Hoover held onto a giant present that sat on his lap. He and his mother were on his way to his best friend, Reiner Braun’s seventh birthday party. The present was wrapped in light blue and held together with a dark blue bow. "I can't wait to get to Reiner's birthday party!" said the child happily. "I really hope he likes the gift I got him!"

Miss Hoover, Bertholdt's mother, looked at her son through the mirror in the middle of the front of the car. "Oh, I'm sure he'll love it sweetheart." 

The two finally made it to Reiner’s house and she parked the car in the driveway. Since Miss Hoover knew Mrs. Braun very well, she knew that the other woman would be okay with it. The woman turned to face her son. “Now Bertholdt sweetie, be on your best behavior while we’re here okay?”

“Okay Mama.” The little boy beamed to his mom. 

The both of them got out of the car and made their way to the front porch. Once they were up on the porch, Miss Hoover rang the doorbell. After a few moments, Mrs. Braun opened the door. 

“Elizabeth!” The blonde woman beamed, holding out her arms happily to her best friend. 

“Karina!”

The two women exchanged a hug, laughing heartily. 

“How are things?” Miss Hoover asked.

“They’re good!” Mrs Braun answered with a smile. It was then that she noticed Bertholdt, she gasped. “Oh, Bertholdt! Look at you! You’re growing up so fast!” She said, crouching down to make eye contact with the small v-fringed boy. The woman gently pinched one cheek and gently kissed the other one. 

Bertholdt blushed a bit. “H-Hello Mrs. Braun.”

Mrs. Braun saw the present and pointed to it. “Is this for Reiner?”

“Y-Yes ma’am.” 

“How thoughtful! Thank you sweetheart! I’ll put it with the others.” She said, taking the present politely out of Bertholdt’s hands.

The boy smiled brightly at the mother of his best friend. “Where’s Reiner?” He asked her.

“Oh, he’s in the backyard with the rest of the kids. You can go join them, okay sweetie?”

Bertholdt nodded. “O-Okay.”

Before he could go back, his mother grabbed him by the shoulders quickly. “Not so fast Mister, you aren’t going anywhere without getting a kiss from your Mother.” 

Bertholdt’s cheeks flushed. “Aww Mama.” He whined.

Miss Hoover kisses her son on the forehead, receiving a small smile and a small giggle from the boy in return. “Remember, be good. Mommy will be with the adults if you need anything.” 

The small boy nodded again, “O-Okay Mama.” With that, the small boy made his way to the backyard. 

Reiner was in the back yard with Jean that had shown up early, “Come on Jean!” The boy pulled his friend lightly, “There’s gonna be so much to do! My dad is picking up the pinata! And-” The boy paused when he saw his friend, “Bertholdt!”

“Hi Reiner!” Bertholdt waved happily as he made his way over to his best friend. “H-Happy Birthday!”

Reiner released Jean, who was now thankful for Bertholdt’s presence, and dashed over to his best friend giving him a hug. “Thanks!” Reiner grinned.

The slightly taller boy hugged the blond back, with a smile on his face. He wouldn’t miss his best friend’s birthday for the world. 

“Dude! You should come see my cake!” Reiner urged his friend grabbing his arm lightly. Even at this age he was aware that he shouldn’t be too rough with Bertholdt.

Bertholdt looked down at his arm, then to Reiner with a smile. “Oh, o-okay!”

Reiner led his friend to a table covered in balloons and various other party supplies. In the center of it all was a big white box, and in that box was a cake with blue icing and “Happy Birthday Reiner!” in green icing. There were also three little dinosaur toys on it and little toy palmtrees.

“Here!” Reiner said to his friend handing him a green party hat, “I made my mom get one special for you because it’s your favorite color!”

“Gee, thanks Reiner!” Bertholdt beamed as he politely took the party hat and put it on his head. He then looked over to the cake, his eyes widened. “Woah, that looks yummy!” 

“I know! And you can have one of the dinosaurs when we eat it!” Reiner told his friend.

“R-Really? I can!?” The v-fringed boy’s smile widened. 

“Yeah! You’re my best friend Bertholdt! Of course you get a dinosaur!” Reiner beamed at his friend.

Bertholdt’s green emerald eyes seemed to twinkle with happiness. “Thanks Reiner!” 

“No problem!” Reiner started to walk away from the table with his friend, “Do you want any snacks? We have tons of stuff!” 

“S-Sure! What kind of snacks do you have?” 

“We have chips, pretzels, cheetos,” Reiner continued to list off snack foods as Connie barreled through the back yard.

Sasha followed in suit, wearing overalls (but instead of the pants, there was a skirt) and a light purple t-shirt with horizontal dark purple stripes. Her chocolate brown eyes scanned the area, looking for the birthday boy. Finally, she found him. “Connie! He’s over here!” She exclaimed rushing over to the blond, frantically waving. “REINER!” She called as she almost tackled Reiner with her hug. “Happy Birthday!”

Reiner nearly stumbled from Sasha’s hug, but regained his balance and returned the hug, “Hey Sasha!” He responded.

Connie followed close behind, “Reiner! Reiner! Happy Birthday!”

Sasha then let go of Reiner and then turned to see Bertholdt standing behind the blond. “Hi Bertholdt!” She greeted with a gapped smile, for one of her front teeth were missing. 

Bertholdt waved back to the girl shyly, a light blush appearing on his cheeks. “H-Hi Sasha.” 

Connie grinned at Bertholdt, “Hey Reiner, where’s the food?”

Reiner pointed to a table, “Right there!”

At the mention of food, Sasha whipped her head to where Reiner was pointing. Her smile grew even wider. “Oh boy! C’mon Connie!” She said, sprinting over to the food.

Connie followed, “Thanks Reiner!” The boy said as he sprinted away.

As soon as Sasha and Connie made their way to the table, Annie entered through the slide glass door that lead to the backyard. She wore a small white hoodie with blue shorts and sneakers. Upon seeing Annie, Bertholdt’s entire face turned bright red. Little beads of sweat formed on the boy’s forehead as the younger blonde made her way up to them. 

“Hey Reiner. Happy Birthday.” Annie said to the older boy, with a small smirk. Her arms were crossed over her chest. 

“Thanks Annie!” Reiner smiled at her and ran to the table to get her a party hat. “Here!” He handed her a pink party hat.

Annie took the hat and placed it on her head. “Thanks.” Pink wasn’t her favorite color, but she didn’t want to upset Reiner. 

Reiner grinned at the girl. He was just happy that his friends were showing up.

Very soon after, another guest entered the backyard. “Reiner!” A small girly voice called out. It was Krista. She wore a pink party dress with stockings and black mary-janes. “Happy Birthday!” She giggled as she walked over to him. 

Reiner waved aggressively at the small girl and smiled as wide as he could, “Thanks Krista! What color party hat do you want!” He asked, enthused.

“Do you have any pink ones left or purple?” She asked, placing her hands behind her back innocently. 

“Yeah!” Reiner said and sprinted over to the table scouring for a pink or purple party hat, luckily there was one left. He dashed back with a pink hat, “There you go! It matches your dress!”

“Yay!” The younger blonde squealed, giggling happily. “Thank you Reiner!” 

Soon Eren and Armin were in the yard, arguing.

Eren wore a blue button-up dress shirt, “This is so uncomfortable!” He whined trying to unbutton it.

“Well you can’t take it off!” Armin tried to pry his friend’s hands away from the buttons. “There are girls here…” He said quietly.

Mikasa entered after them, wearing a pale pink dress with a dark pink sash. “Armin’s right Eren. You can’t take it off. Aunt Carla will be mad if she found out.” 

“I take my shirt off in front of Mikasa all the time!” Eren told Armin still fighting to unbutton the shirt.

Armin gasped, “Eren that’s indecent!”

“I don’t know what that means so I don’t care!” Eren shot back.

“Eren,” Mikasa gripped her adoptive brother’s shoulder. “Just don’t take off your shirt.”

Eren let out an almost growl type sound. “Fine… Jerks.”

Mikasa crossed her arms. “That wasn’t very nice.” She said, narrowing her eyes. 

“I’m not sorry.” Eren said bolting away.

Armin sighed, “Just let him go Mikasa… He’ll get tired eventually…” Armin walked up to Reiner with a small smile. “Happy birthday.” He said politely.

“Yeah, Happy Birthday Reiner.” Mikasa said with a gentle nod.

“Thanks you guys!” Reiner gave Armin a hug, but held out his hand to give Mikasa a handshake.

Mikasa accepted the handshake politely, taking his hand gently and shook it carefully, making sure not to hurt him. 

The last child to arrive was Ymir. The girl stood on the porch in a pair of jeans and a gray shirt that seemed to be one size too big. She was being escorted by one of the nuns from the orphanage she lived at.

“You only get to stay for an hour.” The nun told her, “Then I’ll be back to get you. Be grateful, we don’t usually let you kids go to birthday parties.” The nun then left.

Ymir approached the first adult she saw, Reiner’s mother, “I’m here.” She said quietly.

Mrs. Braun glanced down to the child and smiled. “Hello Ymir. I’m so glad you can join us.” She crouched down to Ymir’s eye level. “The rest of the children are in the backyard. Here,” She stood back up and held out her hand to Ymir. “I’ll take you back.”

“I only get to stay for an hour.” Ymir informed her and followed, “This is for Reiner.” She held up a small and wrinkled envelope with Reiner’s name on it. “I couldn’t get him a present…”

Mrs. Braun took the envelope from the girl, looking at it. She glanced back down at Ymir with sympathy in her eyes. “That’s very thoughtful of you, dear. I’m sure he’ll love it.” She said gently. 

“Thank you…” Ymir looked up at the woman and nodded. 

Reiner caught a glimpse of his mother and smiled, “Mom! Everyone is here can we-” He paused and looked at Ymir, “Why is she here?”

“Reiner, be nice.” Mrs. Braun gently scolded her son, as she gently ushered Ymir to go join the other children. “I invited her.” 

“But mom!” Reiner whined.

Ymir looked down slightly before walking off to stand alone by one of the tables. She figured if Reiner really didn’t want her there she could call one of the nuns to come get her.

“No buts Reiner!” She looked her son right in the eyes. “You treat her the way you treat your friends, alright?” 

Reiner crossed his arms. “Fine.” He reluctantly agreed.

Mrs. Braun smiled to her son. “Good.” She crouched down and gave her son a gentle kiss on the forehead. Then she stood up, “Alright kids. The first thing we’re gonna do is the pinata...just as soon as Mr. Braun returns with it.” 

All of the children cheered as they heard the announcement from Reiner’s mother. Soon after an overweight man walked into the back yard holding a pinata shaped like a t-rex.

“Hey kids!” He greeted the group of children.

“Dad!” Reiner rushed over and hugged the man’s legs.

Mrs. Braun went over to her husband and kissed his cheek. "Oh, Homer." She cooed.

“Connie! Look at the size at the pinata!” Sasha whispered to Connie, pointing at the pinata.

“Yeah!” Connie bounced excitedly, “I bet that thing is stuffed with candy!” 

Mr. Braun smiled wide at his wife and tied the pinata to a low hanging tree branch where the children would be able to hit it. Reiner looked up excitedly at his father handed him a wooden stick.

“Reiner, you have to be careful not to hit me or the other kids.” Mr. Braun explained and held a string on the other side of the tree branch as the children lined up.

“Yes sweetie, please be careful.” Mrs. Braun agreed, standing next to her husband. 

“I’m always careful!” Reiner told his parents as he squared up to hit the pinata.

“Wait!” Mrs. Braun called out quickly. She rushed over to the table and grabbed a purple cloth. “I almost forgot to blindfold you!” The woman hurried back over to her son and carefully tied the cloth over his eyes. “Now, no peeking.” She teased playfully, then looked up to her husband with a grin. “Homer, do you want to spin him a few times? I’ll hold the rope if you want me to.” 

Mr. Braun nodded with a smile and handed his wife the rope, “Now son, I’m going to spin you.” He said as he grabbed Reiner gently by the shoulders and spun the boy around the boy around.

“Now I can’t see and I’m dizzy!” Reiner complained as he swung the stick almost hitting his father in the process.

“That’s the point, stupid!” Ymir said from the back of the line.

Krista, who was standing behind the freckled girl, placed her hands on her hips. “That wasn’t very nice of you.” 

Ymir turned slightly to look at the girl and stared at her for a second. Ymir didn’t know what to think of the girl, but she had pretty blonde hair… “I know.” She said simply.

“When he’s done trying to get the candy out of the pinata, you better go say you’re sorry.” The blonde instructed. 

Ymir narrowed her eyes slightly, usually the other kids didn’t try to boss her around like this, “Why?”

“Because you probably hurt his feelings!” 

Ymir shrugged, “So? He hurts my feelings all the time.”

“I’m sure he doesn’t mean it. He IS a boy after all. Don’t boys usually say things they don’t mean?”

“Not Marco.” Ymir pointed out.

Reiner took his second swing and brushed the bottom of the pinata. “Oh come on!” He exclaimed feeling the lack of contact.

“You almost had it that time sweetheart!” Mrs. Braun cheered her son on. “You get one more try and then give one of your friends a try, okay?”

“Okay, mama.” Reiner said gripping the stick and taking another swing. He made contact, but still didn’t break it.

“Aw, dang…” He took off the blindfold handing it and the stick to Bertholdt.

“Alright, Bertholdt.” Mrs. Braun smiled, taking the blindfold from the child and wrapping it once again around his eyes. “You ready?”

The v-fringed male nodded. “Yes ma’am.”

Mrs. Braun then spun Bertholdt a few times before backing away so she didn’t get hit with the stick. The young boy swung the stick, hitting the pinata the first time. The second swing he ended up missing, and as soon as he tried to swing a third time, the poor thing tripped and fell over.

“Bertl!” Reiner called and went to help his friend up. “Are you okay?”

As the scene unfolded Ymir snickered quietly.

Bertholdt sat up, taking off the blindfold. His cheeks were bright red with embarrassment. “Y-Yeah, I’m okay.”

Reiner took the blindfold from Bertholdt and handed it to the next person in line, Armin.

“Good.” Reiner said as he took his friend to the back of the line.

“I-I don’t think I should do this.” Armin said turning to hand the things to Eren. 

“Just do it Armin! It’s not that hard!” Eren said quickly tying the blindfold onto Armin and spinning him.

Armin whined and gave three weak little spins that went nowhere near the pinata. He quickly handed the things off to Eren and shuffled to the back of the line.

Eren blindfolded himself and spun around by himself. Then he swung violently almost hitting Mikasa behind him.

“Eren! Be careful!” Mikasa scolded. “You can hurt someone!”

Eren groaned and didn’t respond to Mikasa, but instead took his second swing which missed the pinata entirely. Eren became frustrated and took his last swing making contact, but doing nothing.

“Here,” Eren grumbled and handed Mikasa the stick and blindfold.

Mikasa took the stick and handed the blindfold to Mrs. Braun, who tied it for her. After she was spun a few times, Mikasa took a whack at the pinata. It hit the first and second times, but she missed the third time.

“That was very good Mikasa!” Mrs. Braun complimented the young girl on her skills. 

“Thank you Mrs. Braun.” She gave the woman a nod, and handed the stick to Jean.

“Thanks Mikasa!” Jean grinned brightly at the girl trying to be as polite as possible to her.

He put the blindfold on and waited to be spun.

“Alright, here we go!” Mrs. Braun said, gently placing her hands on his shoulders, and spun him a few times. 

Jean stumbled slightly, but managed to swing the bat making light contact. His second swing missed and his third only brushed the front of the pinata. Jean removed the blindfold and handed it to Marco.

“Thanks Jean.” Marco beamed as he had Mrs. Braun tie the blindfold over his eyes and spun him around. He stumbled a bit, but thankfully regained his balance. He missed all three times. Now, normally kids who miss all three times would ask for more turns or would whine and cry. Not Marco though. He was one of those kids who was a saint in disguise. He took off the blindfold and handed it to Sasha. “Here you go Sasha! Good luck!” 

Sasha giggled. “Thanks Marco!” She tied the blindfold herself and had Mrs. Braun spin her. “Alright everyone! I’m gonna break this pinata open!” The child exclaimed happily as she swung. The first time she hit it, the second time she missed and the third time she almost hit Mr. Braun because of her energetic behavior.

Mr. Braun stumbled backwards with a small yelp and the pinata fell to the ground. “A-Alright Sasha, that was your third swing.”

“I heard something fall!” Sasha exclaimed bouncing up and down, not taking the blindfold off. “Did I get it!?” 

Mr. Braun got up and grabbed the rope, “No, but you almost got me.” He laughed lightly.

Sasha then removed the blindfold, with a scared expression. “Oh…” She nervously chuckled. “Sorry ‘bout that Mr. Braun.” She said, holding the stick behind her back innocently, biting her bottom lip. 

“It’s okay.” The man assured with a smile at the girl, “With that kind of energy I for sure thought you would have been the one to break the pinata.”

Sasha’s mood changed and a wide smile was on her face. “You mean it?!” 

Mr. Braun nodded, “Yeah, maybe it’ll happen on your next try!”

Sasha beamed brightly and skipped over to Connie handing him the stick and the blindfold. “Here Connie! It’s your turn now!” 

“Thanks Sasha!” Connie quickly tried to put the blindfold on, but ended up putting it on crooked. 

“Here sweetie, let me help you.” Mrs. Braun chuckled as she fixed the blindfold on the bald kids head. “There you go. Do you want me to spin you or can you do it yourself?”

Connie thought for a moment, “Could you spin me, please?” He asked the woman.

Mrs. Braun smiled sweetly. “Of course pumpkin.” The woman took the boy by his shoulders and spun him around. 

Connie took his first swing and missed, his second missed, his third made contact and made such a loud noise that he thought he had broken it. He ripped off the blindfold excitedly, but then frowned.

“Here Annie…” Connie said disappointedly as he walked to the back of the line.

“You did your best buddy.” Sasha said, trying to cheer him up.

Annie tied the blindfold over her eyes and spun herself around a few times. Then she began swinging. All three of the swings hit the pinata, but did not bust it open. 

Bertholdt watched the girl from his spot in line, eyes widened and mouth agape.  _ Woah… _ He thought to himself.

Annie then uncovered her eyes and began to head to the back of the line, handing the blindfold and stick to Ymir. “Here.”

Ymir gave a small nod to Annie. Ymir tied the blindfold on herself and spun around. Her first swing made contact making the pinata swing wildly. Her second swing missed, and her third landed but didn’t break the pinata open.

Ymir removed the blindfold then handed it and the stick to Krista.  

Krista thanked the taller girl and asked for Mrs. Braun to tie the blindfold and spin her. The woman nodded and did so. After she had spun, Krista tried to whack the pinata, but being smaller than the other kids didn’t help. She ended up missing the first time. The young girl stood up on her tip-toes and swung again to miss. The third time, Krista swung so hard that it actually hit the pinata, bursting it open. She spun around and landed on her bottom. 

For a few moments the kids stood there stunned that Krista had been the one to break it open, but soon rushed to gather the candy. Ymir was the only one who remained.

“My hit probably cracked it. You were just lucky…” Ymir muttered as she went to help the girl up.

Krista allowed Ymir to help her up. Once she was up, the young blonde brushed the dirt off her dress. “Thank you.” The girl smiled up to the taller girl and then rushed over to the sea of kids, hoping there was candy left. 

Ymir stared at the girl for a second before she walked over to the crowd trying to at least get something. 

Reiner was in the middle of the hoard shoveling candy into his shirt.

Bertholdt tried to get some candy, but when he would reach for it, someone else’s hand would come in and take it. He would be lucky to get a least a snickers bar or something.

Once the children had finished attacking the pile of candy they looked at what they had gathered. 

Eren and Armin were sharing a shirtful. Jean had stuffed his pockets, as had Connie. Reiner was already stuffing his face, but Ymir had only gotten a handful.

Sasha had stuffed the front pocket of her overall skirt. Marco took most of the M&Ms. Annie didn’t want any candy so she stayed behind. Mikasa grabbed two snickers. Poor Bertholdt only got one small Hershey’s Chocolate Bar.

Reiner walked over to Bertholdt, “Here! I grabbed enough for the both of us!” He said as he started putting candy into his friend’s pockets.

Bertholdt glanced down at Reiner’s hands putting candy in his pockets, then looked up at his friend. “R-Reiner, I…” He was going to decline his friend’s offer, but stopped in his tracks. It was a kind thing that Reiner was doing. Instead of finishing, the boy gave the blond a smile. “Thanks Reiner.” 

Reiner smiled up at his friend and continued until he had put half of his candy in the boy’s pockets.

Ymir considered what she had grabbed for a moment and then put two lollipops into her pants pocket. “Here.” She walked over to Krista with her hand extended.

Krista turned to face Ymir and glanced down at her hand. Her blue eyes shimmered as she took the lollipop and the other candy from the girl’s hand. “Thank you.”

Ymir nodded slightly, “The nuns will just make me share it… So you might as well have it…” Ymir said without stating her ulterior motive. She was kind of cute... 

“That’s very sweet of you.” She said, holding the candy in her hands. Giving the girl a smile, she moved all the candy to one hand as she extended her other. “My name’s Krista by the way.” 

Ymir looked down at the girl’s hand then hesitantly shook it. “Ymir…”

“It’s nice to meet you.” The young girl giggled.

“Nice to meet you too.” Ymir said back with a small smile. She didn’t have many friends, besides Jean, but he was always with Marco. So, maybe she and Krista could be friends.

“Alright children!” Mrs Braun piped up. “It’s time for Reiner to open up his presents! Now, let’s all head inside.” 

Krista turned to listen to the woman then she glanced back to Ymir. “C’mon let’s go!” She cheered as she began to run inside. 

Ymir followed and ended up being the last one inside. She shut the door behind her and joined the rest of the kids waiting for Reiner to open his presents.

Reiner sat on a chair in front of the group with his hands extended for the first present.

Mrs Braun grabbed the first present from the table and handed it to her son. “This is from Annie.” She said with a smile. 

Reiner grabbed the present and tore off the wrapping paper. His grin fell slightly, an… Etch-a- Sketch… “Thanks Annie!” He said to stay polite.

Annie gave him a nod as if to say ‘you’re welcome’.

Mrs. Braun took the next present. “This one is from Mikasa and Eren.” 

Reiner took the present tearing once again. Jenga… At least he could destroy something with this. “Thanks guys!”

Eren grinned proudly, even though he hadn’t put any thought into the gift.

Mikasa nodded, “You’re welcome. Happy Birthday.” She gave the boy a smile.

“This next one is from Armin.” Mrs. Braun handed Reiner a small package.

Reiner opened the present and looked at it confused, a book? Science Experiments For Kids, specifically. “Thank you?”

“You’re welcome!” Armin said excitedly, “It’s a really fun book I promise!”

Mrs. Braun smiled at the little blonde coconut, then turned to grab the next present. “This one’s from Jean.” 

Reiner grabbed the present and opened it, a football, something he actually wanted! “Thanks Jean!” 

Jean responded with a small smile.

“Alright, Marco’s present is next.” 

Reiner opened the present and stared at the toy, “Wow thanks Marco! Batman is my favorite!” He said as he set aside the box containing the action figure.

“I’m glad you like.” Marco beamed to the birthday boy.

“Alright, now this one’s from Sasha.”

Reiner opened the gift, “This stuff is so fun!” He said placing the play doh down with his other gifts, “Thanks Sasha!”

“Of course! Play-doh is always fun!” Sasha laughed happily.

“Connie’s is next.” 

Reiner opened Connie’s gift which was pretty heavy. There was a small robotic dinosaur with a controler, “Wow! Connie this is awesome!”

Connie beamed at his friend.

Mrs. Braun took the envelope from the table. “This is from Ymir.” She leant down and whispered in Reiner’s ear. “Be nice and say thank you.” She knew that he and Ymir did not get along. 

Reiner groaned lightly and opened the envelope. It was a paper hand drawn card with happy birthday written on the front surrounded by balloons, a cake and smiling stick figures. Inside was a wrinkled five dollar bill. 

“Thank you.” Reiner said literally tossing it to the side.

“... You’re welcome…” Ymir said quietly.

Mrs. Braun crossed her arms and sighed. At least he said thank you. She then made her way to the table, picking up a little handmade bracelet. Before she could announce who it was from, Krista chimed from the middle of the hoard of kids. 

“That’s my present!” She said happily. “It’s a friendship bracelet!” 

Reiner rushed to put the bracelet on, “Thanks Krista! It’s so awesome!”

“I’m so happy you like it! I made it myself! Well, with a little help from my big sister!” She giggled. 

There was one final present that sat on the table “Here’s Bertholdt’s present.” Mrs. Braun beamed as she handed it to Reiner.

Reiner tore apart the paper more excitedly than he had the others. “Thanks Bertl!” He exclaimed before even looking at the present because he knew that his best friend would have gotten him the perfect gift, and he did, a soccer ball and a Star Wars Lego set. “I’ve wanted this forever!”

Bertholdt blushed, a small smile on his face. “Y-You’re welcome Reiner...Happy Birthday.”

“Oh! I almost forgot!” Mrs. Braun piped up. “There’s one more present left!”

“Really?!” Reiner asked excitedly, “Where is it!”

“It’s outside.” The woman answered her son, with a light smirk on her face. “You have to find it though.” 

Reiner bolted out the doors and started to look under the tables and chairs. The other children soon followed with the exception of Jean and Ymir who took their time to stroll outside.

“This is dumb.” Jean said with a small scoff.

Ymir nodded in agreement.

Sasha peeked from behind of the tree. “It’s not behind here! Any luck over there Reiner?” 

“Nope!” Reiner called back as he looked behind some bushes in his yard.

As the children searched, Mrs. Braun sneaked into the backyard. Her back was turned to face the kids and she seemed to have something in her arms. The woman crouched down to place the surprise on the back porch and stepped back, glancing to the children with a smile. On the back porch was a little Saint Bernard puppy.

Marco, who happened to finish searching by the shed, noticed the little surprise and gasped. “Guys! I think I found the surprise! Look!” He pointed in the direction of the back porch.

“What is it Marco?” Reiner rushed to stand by his friend and looked rapidly around before his eyes settled on the puppy.

“It’s a dog!” Reiner said as he rushed towards the panting Saint Bernard.

“A dog!?” Sasha and Krista said together, genuinely surprised. 

Bertholdt’s skin turned pale. “A-A….dog?” His green eyes widened. 

“What’s so special about a dog?” Ymir and Jean said at the same time.

Reiner had the puppy around the neck, but the dog didn’t seem to mind, the boy hugged tightly, “I love him!”

“I’m so glad you love him.” Mrs. Braun laughed sweetly, standing behind her son and placed a hand on his shoulder. “This little guy is from your father and I.” The woman gave her son a kiss on top of his head. “Happy Birthday sweetheart.”

“Thanks mom! Thanks dad! This is the best birthday ever!” Reiner continued to hug the dog, “C’mon everyone! Come see my new dog!”

The kids all sprinted to Reiner, cooing and gawking at the puppy...All except for Annie, who walked over and Bertholdt who was frozen in his tracks. 

“Oh my gosh! He’s so adorable!” Sasha exclaimed.

“And he’s so soft too!” Krista cooed, gently petting the top of the dog’s head.

“I know! I’m gonna train him to do all kinds of things!” Reiner said, “He’s gonna be one of my best friends!”

“What are you going to name him, hun?” Mrs. Braun asked her son.

“Yeah Reiner!” Sasha chimed in, “What are you gonna name it?”

Reiner thought for a second, “Captain!” 

“That’s a perfect na-”

“Axel!” Reiner said interrupting. 

Mrs. Braun looked confused. “Um...sweetie, which one is it? Captain or Axel?”

“... Both.” Reiner decided.

After a moment or two of silence, Mrs. Braun nodded. “Captain Axel it is then...Hmm, you know that has a nice ring to it.” She said.

Meanwhile, Bertholdt finally made his way over to them, his knees were weak and his heart was beating fast. He quickly hid behind Ymir, who just happened to be the closest thing to him. He slowly peeked his head from behind her. 

“What the fu-” Ymir looked at Bertholdt as she censored herself. The girl narrowed her eyes, “What do you think you’re doing?”

“O-Oh, um..s-sorry Ymir...I-I was just...hiding.” He stammered, sweat rolling down his face and a blush appeared on his cheeks.

“From what?” Ymir crossed her arms.

Bertholdt swallowed, “I-I um…” He tried to talk, but he couldn’t form the words.

Ymir scoffed, “Just say it already, wimp.”

“I...I...I can’t!” He spun around and raced back to where he once was. Far away from everyone else.

Ymir watched him confused for a second, but then soon decided that it wasn’t her problem, “What a loser.”

Meanwhile, the kids were still in love with Reiner’s new dog. Even Annie had to admit, he was pretty darn cute for a dog.

“Can I hold him Reiner? Please?” Sasha begged.

“Yeah then after her, can I hold him?” Marco chimed in.

“Yeah guys, but I should really give Bertholdt the chance to first! They are my best friends and they should meet!” Reiner said looking around for his friend.

Bertholdt heard his name and tensed up, looking up with frightened eyes. Oh no…He felt his entire body trembling now, his heart beating faster every second. 

“Bertl! Come meet Captain Axel!” Reiner called out. 

Bertholdt awkwardly stood there, his eyes glancing quickly from the dog and Reiner. He couldn’t move nor could he speak. He was terrified. 

“Bertl? Are you okay?” Reiner asked standing up with the dog still in his arms. “He’s really good I promise!” The boy came towards his friend with the dog.

Bertholdt’s eyes widened even more as his best friend came up with the dog in his arms. His lip quivered for a few moments before he began to cry, sprinting away around the house to hide in the front.

Ymir watched him sprint and rolled her eyes, “Jeez what’s his problem?”

“I guess he’s cranky. Maybe he needs a nap.” Krista said innocently. Being the youngest, she didn’t really understand that most six year olds did not need naps. 

Sasha turned to the small blonde girl. “I don’t think that’s it Krista. Maybe he had to use the bathroom.”

"As he ran away to the front of the house crying?" Annie said, crossing her arms. 

“Yeah! He probably had to go REALLY badly and couldn’t hold it in anymore!”

Armin leaned over to Mikasa and whispered to her, “You know. I think he’s afraid of the dog.”

Mikasa looked to Armin and nodded, “I think you’re right.” She whispered back.

Marco walked over to the blond and placed an arm on his shoulder. “You should go talk to him Reiner.”

Reiner nodded at Marco and set Captain Axel down to go talk to Bertholdt. Reiner ran around the house with the dog obediently following.

“Hey, Bertl! Are you okay?” He asked when he reached his friend.

Bertholdt had his knees up to his chest with his head down. When he heard his friend’s voice, he looked up, with tears stained on his tanned cheeks. “Y-Yeah,” He wiped his eyes. “I’m okay...I just-” He suddenly stopped when he saw Captain Axel and he frantically tried to scoot away. Unfortunately for him, there was the stairwell leading up to the front door. His back was pressed against it. Bertholdt was trapped...or so he thought. “A-Ah! G-Get it away from me!”

Reiner looked on confused, “What do you mean Bertholdt? Get what away from you?” He took another step forward, and so did Captain Axel.

“T-The Dog! Get it away!” Bertholdt cried out, cowering in fear. 

“Why? What’s wrong with the dog?” Reiner looked back at the panting puppy. If anything he looked goofy, but not scary.

“I-It’s gonna hurt me!” Bertholdt clamped his eyes shut with his hands, trembling. 

“What do you mean it’s gonna hurt you? It’s only a puppy! Watch!” Reiner turned to face the puffball of a dog and wrapped his arms around it’s neck.

The dog let out a small and excited bark as it licked Reiner’s face.

Bertholdt bit his bottom lip, still worried as he watched the dog licking his friend’s face. Sweat rolled down his face. He wanted to believe that the dog wasn’t bad, he really did...but his phobia held him back.

“C’mon Bertl. I promise he won’t hurt you.” Reiner held the dog around the neck, “He’s not old enough to know how to be mean yet!”

Bertholdt shook his head. “I-I’m scared...”

“Really, it’s okay.” Reiner held out his hand to Bertholdt. “I won’t let him hurt you.”

“You promise?” He asked meekly, after giving it a few seconds of thought.

“I promise.” Reiner smiled softly.

The younger boy sighed. “Okay.” He gave him a nervous smile.

Reiner slowly lead Bertholdt’s hand to the dog’s back. “See. He’s a good boy!”

Bertholdt’s hand still trembled as Reiner lead his hand to the dog’s back. His face was still frightened, but it had calmed a bit once his hand touched the soft fur. His emerald greens blinked a few times in surprise.

Captain Axel wagged his tail and looked up at the other boy with a small bark. 

“It’s okay Bertl. Pet him.” Reiner encouraged.

The six year old swallowed gently and began to pet the small puppy. “W-Wow...h-he’s so soft.” The boy said quietly.

“See! I told you that you would be okay! Why were you afraid anyway?” Reiner grinned at his friend.

Bertholdt looked up at his friend. “W-Well, when I was four,...um...I went over to my uncle’s house while my mom went to work. He had a dog...a really big one...it bit me and I still have the mark.” The young boy lifted up one of his sleeves on his shirt to show Reiner the scar on his upper arm. “I’ve been afraid ever since.” 

Reiner frowned, “Well not all dogs are like that. I’m gonna train The Captain to never hurt people!”

Bertholdt gave him a gentle, thankful smile. Reiner was such a good friend, he understood while others might’ve laughed at him. A few moments went by, before the younger boy broke the silence. “R-Reiner? Um...if it’s okay, d-do you think...ugh...I can..h-hold him?” He asked, fiddling with his hands. “I-I want...to see if I can get rid of my fear...”

“Of course!” Reiner lifted Captain Axel to Bertholdt’s arm level. “He’s really calm when you hold him!”

Bertholdt reached out and took the small dog, awkwardly cradling him in his arms. Thankfully, the v-fringed boy managed to fix it to make the dog comfortable. He glanced down at the dog with his wide emerald green eyes. “H-Hello Captain Axel.” He cooed quietly.

Captain Axel looked up at the boy now holding him and barked excitedly. He shifted in Bertholdt’s arms to be able to lick his face. Captain Axel started to wag his tail and lean into the boy.

“See he likes you Bertl!” Reiner exclaimed.

Little Bertholdt began to laugh, trying to move his face away, but couldn’t. “H-Hey! T-That tickles Captain!” The small boy said through his laughter. 

Reiner grinned proudly over the fact that his friend was comfortable around his new dog.

Captain Axel barked again and continued to lick the boy’s face.

The little v-fringed boy couldn’t believe it. He had conquered his fear. It was a wonderful feeling to say the least. This meant he could still go over Reiner’s house and not be scared out of his mind! This was absolutely terrific.

After a few moments, Bertholdt finally was able to speak, “O-Okay, Okay!” He said, chuckling. “I-I like you too!”

“Okay Captain!” Reiner said taking the dog from Bertholdt and setting him on the ground. “We should get back to the party!”

Bertholdt wiped his face with his sleeve and gave Reiner a sharp nod. “Y-Yeah! Let’s go!”

As the boys ran back around the house to their friends the dog followed.

“About time!” Jean scoffed as they came back. “We weren’t allowed to have cake without you.”

“We had to hold Sasha and Connie back because they were about to take some of the icing.” Krista added, placing her hands behind her back innocently.

“It’s not our fault he wasn’t here! Why should we be punished?” Connie argued.

Ymir rolled her eyes, “Shut up Connie.”

“I’m sorry guys.” Reiner walked over to the cake, “Well I’m here we can have it now!”

Mr. Braun set the last of the candles in the cake and grabbed a lighter. He went to light the first candle and nothing. He tried a second time, nothing, a third, nothing. The man finally got frustrated and angrily brought his finger down on the lighter’s mechanism causing flames to shoot up almost catching his eyebrows on fire.

Mrs. Braun, who was right next to her husband, quickly grabbed the lighter when the flames vanished the fourth time. “Here, let me try it dear.” She said as she attempted to light the candles. In about a few minutes, they were all lit. 

Mr. Braun mumbled lightly and rubbed his left eyebrow which suddenly felt uneven.

“Alright everyone, gather around the cake! It’s time to sing!” Mrs. Braun smiled.

The children cheered and did as Mrs. Braun told them. Sasha almost got a taste of icing, but Marco scolded her for it. 

“Is everyone ready?” Mrs. Braun asked, as she clasped her hands together. “On the count of three. One...Two...Three.”

_ Happy Birthday to You! Happy Birthday to You!  _

_ Happy Birthday dear Reiner. Happy Birthday to You! _

Cheers erupted from all the children, with the exception of Ymir, as Reiner blew out his candles.

Mrs. Braun bent over to look at her son. “What did you wish for honey?” She asked.

“I can’t tell you mom! Or else it won’t come true!”

The proud mother laughed. “Oh, that’s right. I forgot.” She kissed her son’s cheek. Then, she went to go grab a knife to cut the cake. 

“Oh, come on Reiner! You can tell your dad right?” Mr Braun smiled at his son.

Reiner shook his head softly.

“Okay, how about I guess? Was it a new video game?” 

Reiner shook his head.

“Okay, how about a pool?”

Reiner shook his head.

“Okay, did you wish for a girlfriend?” Mr.Braun grinned.

“No!” Reiner quickly denied.

“Really, I bet you wished for that girl to be your girlfriend.” Mr. Braun said as he pointed to Ymir.

Reiner turned slightly to look at his father, “Dad. No.”

“Well, if it’s not her its gotta be Annie, right?” Mr. Braun questioned.

“Dad! No!” Reiner said once again.

“Alright kids, come get some cake!” Mrs. Braun said as she placed another piece of cake on the side tables with more pieces of cut cake. 

Reiner broke away from the conversation with his father as quickly as he could. He was the first one to the table with his hands out for a piece of cake.

Mrs. Braun handed her son the first piece. “Don’t forget your napkin and fork sweetie.” She said also handing him that. 

“Thanks ma!” Reiner said rushing back to his spot at the table as the rest of the kids got their cake. 

As they all sat down to eat Ymir was the only one without any cake for the simple reason that she didn’t want any.

Sasha was scarfing down her piece, almost like a savage beast. “This is so yummy!” She said with a mouthful of cake.

Connie nodded in agreement with icing covering his mouth.

Annie watched those two, with a gentle eye roll as she politely ate her cake. Bertholdt ate his, but couldn’t help but stare at the hoodie-wearing blonde. 

Jean had been eating his cake in small bites, and Reiner was already on his second piece. Eren was trying to sneak bites of Armin’s cake.

Marco politely ate his, while Krista stared at hers, then looked over to Ymir. She felt bad that she didn’t get a piece of cake. She got out of her seat and waddled over to the girl. “Here, you can have my piece if you want. I didn’t touch it.” Krista held out her cake to her sweetly. 

Ymir looked carefully at Krista before a small blush spread over her cheeks. People usually weren’t this nice to her. “No thank you.” She declined as politely as she could. “I don’t want any cake.”

Krista cocked her head to the side, genuinely surprised. “Are you sure?”

Ymir nodded, “Yes I’m sure. Thank you though.”

“Okay!” Krista smiled. “If you change your mind, I’ll be more than happy to give you my piece.” She said as she made her way back to the table.

Sasha had just finished her second piece of cake and was going to get a third piece. Mikasa only had one piece and was content with that. Annie threw her plate away after finishing a second piece. 

As the kids continued to either eat more cake or throw their plates away, Bertholdt looked over to Reiner from his spot. He wanted to thank him. Really thank him for helping him conquer his fear…

Reiner didn’t notice much else as he worked on his second piece of cake, and at moments strategically putting his fork under the table so no one would see him share with his new dog.

Now was his chance while the others were busy. The v-fringed lad got up and made his way over to his best friend. “H-Hey, Reiner? I...I just wanted...to thank you...for helping me face my fear…”

Reiner smiled brightly at Bertholdt, “No problem! You’re my best friend Bertholdt! It’s my job to help you be brave!”

“Y-You’re my best friend too!” Bertholdt said, returning the smile to Reiner. “I’m glad my fear is gone now, because if it didn’t, I thought I wouldn’t be able to come over anymore.” He chuckled. “But since it’s gone, I-I don’t have to worry about that!”

“You never did man! I would have just put The Captain outside whenever you were over!” Reiner said with a small nod. “If you couldn’t come over all the time nothing would ever be fun.”

“You really are the best friend I’ll ever have Reiner.”

“I wouldn’t want to be anybody else’s best friend.” Reiner replied as Captain Axel poked his head out from under the table with a small bark.

Bertholdt grinned at Reiner before glancing down at the dog from under the table, with a chuckle. All because of what happened that day, it would certainly be one that the young boy will always remember.


End file.
